Job searching is a long and often discouraging process. Try out these strategies to recharge your job-seeking skills and keeping it going with full force.

Take control: Do not put your job search in the hands of well-meaning colleagues or friends who offer to float your resume along. Take charge and offer to introduce yourself to the people they think can help you. Do the legwork by crafting an email with a compelling reason to talk or meet with you, and ask friends to email it on your behalf.

Find an insider: Beyond submitting your resume to a job posting, always make the effort to find someone inside the company who may be able to serve as a referral, advocate or informant.

Ask everyone you know if they have any connections inside that company, look for connections using LinkedIn, or research the company and see if it will be present at any events you could attend. By taking this step, you are less likely to feel like your resume has slipped into a black hole.

Network with as many inside connections as possible: Even if you have a solid contact, having more than one certainly cannot hurt. Employees may have different perspectives depending on who they report to, their tenure with the company, or personal preferences.

Keep searching: You may have had a terrific interview and feel like it is a sure thing. But do not stop looking elsewhere. There are many reasons that job may not come through: budget cuts, or sometimes a last-minute change in the job’s scope, for example. Keep applying and networking. Create opportunities for yourself so you have options, instead of feeling rejected if the offer doesn’t come through.

Build an advisory team: When you search alone, it is hard to evaluate what you could be doing differently. Look for job seeker networking groups in your area or start your own group. Consider this your advisory team.

These are people whom you can bounce ideas off of. There are two important rules for you to remember: first, no idea is a bad idea, so be appreciative of the feedback you receive. Second, turn your gripes into opportunities for solutions. You don’t want to be seen as a complainer, so be sure to rephrase your frustrations into a question to get advice.